Collapsing In
by InfamousBookWorm
Summary: ""OK, I love you Jay. Jump on three. One…" There was another loud screeching noise. "Two…" More screams. "Three!" And after that, there was nothing but a blast of wind. I could see the water rushing towards me when all of the sudden my feet connected with the surface." After a terrible accident, her parents decide to move to Montana in hopes of a new start. Full summary inside. AH
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I hope you guys like it!**

**Summary: Max has just been in a terrible accident. While driving with her friend JJ, a bridge collapsed- with them on it! Max witnessed many deaths and this scarred her emotionally. Her mom, step dad, cousin Ella, and brother Iggy move to Montana to get away and she intends to keep to herself. But of course there's a dark stranger and his friends who may just break down Max's walls. FAX!**

Chapter One

It has been more than 36 hours since we left my old home in Seattle, Washington but I still feel like at any minute we could turn into our old driveway and pull up to my old home with its cracking tan paint and broken screen door. But that's not possible considering we are just now passing over into Montana state lines, never to return to the sleepless city.

When mapped out, the drive from Seattle to our new home on Wolf Road, it's about 12 hours. But we had to make a few stops in Idaho to visit family members that I had never heard of before. It was weird walking through homes of strangers who all insisted on patting me on the back and asking if I was OK, as if they were my therapist or something. What made them think I wanted to talk to them about anything? I mean, I didn't know half of them and the half I did know, well, let's just say there was a reason we never visited each other.

But besides that fact, what made them think I wanted to talk about any of it, at all?

After visiting distant cousins, step relatives, and some half uncles twice removed (or something like that) we had one more stop, but this house was on the border of Idaho and Montana. two minutes after crossing the border, we get off the highway and drive around on some windy dirt roads. When we pull up to a house, my mom tries prodding me into getting out of the car one last time.

"Max, honey, I promise this is our last stop. Will you please come out and greet your Aunt and Uncle?" My mother's soft brown eyes searched my face for any signs of emotion but after a minute of staring at me, she realizes I am not going to come out of the car. And she won't make me. Because that's the type of person she is.

Especially towards someone who has just been through so much in the past month.

"Ok," my mother continues. "Igs and I may be a while. It's going to take some time to get all of Ella's things in the truck, assuming Jeb gets it here soon. Come in when you're ready." She turns around and joins my brother, Iggy, on the front porch.

They knock a few times and when the door opened I saw the back of my brother's strawberry blonde head disappear into the house. My mother stands at the entrance for a bit, talking to the woman who opened the door for them. She has dark brown hair and naturally tanned skin. She looks like my mother in the way that their facial structures are very similar. And I am guessing that her eyes hold the same caring dignity that my mother's always has.

While I watching my mom talk with her sister, I can't help but notice how different all of us are. I mean, my mom has beautiful dark brown hair, a light tan, and creamy brown eyes. I have dirty blonde hair with milky brown eyes that looks the color of dirt water and a pasty but somehow still slightly tan complexion.

Then there's Iggy. He has strawberry blonde hair and he is taller than everyone, even Jeb. He has bright blue eyes and big dimples. Of course he could look nothing like us since he's adopted… That may have something to do with it.

Then there is Jeb. He has greying hair and dark brown eyes. He isn't my biological dad but apparently my real dad looked nothing like me. Of course I wouldn't know since I have never met him.

Before I could think anymore about my family, both women on the porch looked towards the car, offered a small wave and a genuine smile, then headed into the house, shutting the pristine white door behind them.

I plug my earbuds in and flip through songs with my eyes closed. I have no intentions on going into yet another relative's home. Of course, this would be a bit different since Ella and her parents were close to me and mine, along with Iggy of course. But I still don't want to go through the same pity gazes and "Are you alright" bothersome conversations. I plan to sit here with my IPod until Jeb, my step dad, shows up with the almost full truck. Once he arrives, Ella, my cousin, will pack her things in and we can head off to our new home.

I guess I should explain the Ella situation. Ella Martinez is my cousin. She lives in the house I am currently sitting in front of, but she hates it here. Her school is pretty large and she is known by almost everyone- just not in a good way. Her parent's knew my mom was relocating us after the incident and once they heard it was only two hours from where they currently live, asked if we could take in Ella to get her out of this town and into a better environment. Ella's parents never got the full story of why everyone had something against Ella but they were tired of having her come home in tears, wishing she were somewhere else.

Since Aunt Maria and Uncle James can't move until their jobs allow them to (in about two years) they decided it would be best to ship her off to us. Which I guess is cool.

Just as I was getting to the chorus of a Skillet song, a tapping on the window woke me from my music-induced coma. Jeb stood outside the car, asking with his eyes if it was OK for him to come in. I nod, unlock the doors, and he climbs into the drivers side.

"Hey Kiddo," he begins. "What are you doin' out here by yourself?"

I have always loved Jeb but sometimes he gets on my nerves. Like now for instance.

"I didn't want to go in."

"I get that. But do you think you could come in just to say hello? I promise we can leave as soon as we get all of Ella's stuff packed up. And if you talk to your Aunt and Uncle, that means I can get your mom to pack with Iggy and I and we can get out of here quicker." Jeb was always good at convincing me to do things, no matter how stubborn I was.

"Can I help you pack instead?"

Jeb smirked. "Only if you say hi to everyone first."

"Deal." And we both climbed out of the car.

While walking up the steps, I began wrapping up my headphones. Instead of knocking like my brother and mom did, we just walked right on in. In my silent observant state, I watched as my brother struggle carrying five bags and suitcases while Ella talked animatedly to him, carrying nothing but her purse. My mom was across the room talking to my aunt while my uncle stood there, making eye contact with me. It was eery in the way that no one else seemed to notice the exchange between my uncle and I but at the same time, there has always been something about Uncle James that told me he understood. Understood what? I have no clue, but he did.

I made my way over to Iggy and took some of the bags, he gave me a relieved sigh and continued towards the door. Ella chirped up next to me.

"Max! It's so good to see you again! Aren't you excited to be moving? I am! And the best part is that we are going to be like sisters! Except not really because we are cousins but we are living together which is super awesome! And-" I blocked her out from there. I was fine with letting her talk because I wanted to stay in my own silence but man did that girl have a mouth on her.

I made it out to the U-Haul truck, threw her stuff in next to where Iggy threw the other three bags and started making my way back to the house. But before I took three steps I was bear tackled by my brown-haired, frail cousin. "I am so glad you're here." That was all she said before running after Iggy.

I stood, confused, but slowly moved towards the house.

"Max," Jeb called towards me. "Why don't you come say hi?" He noted somewhere in his voice that he saw through my plans of leaving without fulfilling our deal.

"Hi Uncle James, Aunt Maria." I said as both of the adults came up and hugged me. Aunt Maria pulled back and looked me in the eyes.

She said "If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you." She said it like everyone else says it; as if it is obligatory after something terrible happens. As if if they didn't, they would be terrible people.

However, Uncle James says nothing but "Did you hear about the game happening on Sunday? I expect a call after the game to discuss how terrible the Dawgs are! Now that you are officially a Montana Champ." My uncle and I always had a thing for college football and he knew better than to become a part of numerous people telling me "life goes on." And his casual approach almost made me smile. Almost.

"Will do, but Dawgs are going to win. Your team kinda sucks."

He seemed to consider this for a second then said "True." And he smirked as I rolled my eyes.

Uncle James was the only one besides my brother to have the right sense to treat me normally. He always knew exactly how to act around me. And I love him for it.

"You guys ready to go? Ella's things are all packed and the car is already running." Jeb was trying to usher us out the door.

Everyone in the living room made their way to the porch. I made my way to the U-Haul, deciding I would ride the rest of the way with Jeb. Iggy walked to our Explorer and got in the back,leaving the front seat to Ella… Which is a courtesy Iggy never showed to me. Ella was still on her porch, giving tearful hugs to both of her parents.

Without another glance, Jeb and I took off towards the highway. Two more hours until we arrive to our new home.

I plugged in my headphones and almost immediately my eyes drifted closed and I began dreaming. Which usually was great but lately, the only dreams I have been having are nightmares. And all my nightmares are is a play-by-play of the day the bridge collapsed; the day everything changed for me.

_I was in my red Honda Accord driving down I-90. I was passing through a tunnel and when it opened up, I was on the bridge that connected this part of Seattle to the rest of the Puget Sound area._

_I blasted music and was singing along to some John Mayer song when my friend, JJ, pointed out a little girl riding a bike in the bike lane with her parents. We were stuck in a lot of traffic so I had time to look over and see the little girl wearing a unicorn helmet. It was swirled with a rainbow of colors and had a purple horn protruding from the front of it. Her parents were smiling at her and taking a picture with a disposable camera. _

_The traffic was at a standstill because all the construction, that seemed to never be finished in Seattle, was blocking up one of the lanes. My car was stopped right next to the little girl and her family when all of a sudden there was muffled BOOM noise coming from below._

_JJ and I looked at each other and everything seemed to be in slow motion. We looked back towards the road and realized we were in the middle of the bridge and that the concrete was moving down._

_There were honks of panicked cars in front of us. The screams of people running out of their cars and trying to run towards the tunnels. And the family with the young girl, instead of running, hugging and crying because they know that there is no way to get from here to safety. _

_Still in slow motion, JJ and I exit the car and walk over to the edge of the bridge. People are already littering the water. People are jumping- hoping that will save them but how could that save them when the height alone could be enough to kill them?_

"_Max, what do we do?" JJ's eyes were panicked and she was shaking all over. I was still in shock but I managed to speak._

"_JJ, whatever happens, know that you are the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Now, we need to figure out-" I was cut off by a loud squeaking noise and a chorus of more screams._

_All of the sudden, Life came back into normal speed and the bridge started to twist to the right. I grabbed JJ's hand and dragged her away from my car. If we could get in the right position, we may be able to jump into the water and out of the way of anything that may try to crush us. _

_We ran towards where the family with the little girl was and stood there. I told JJ to get ready to jump. The family saw my movements and I guess they thought I knew what to do. _

_The older woman broke away from the rest of the family and pushed the girl towards me. She tried telling me something but I couldn't understand her words; she was speaking another language. But I understood her eyes. She wanted me to save the little girl._

_I nodded and she gave me a saddened smile. I didn't realize how much I had been crying until I tried looking down at the little girl but all I saw was a blurry blob. _

"_JJ, grab her other hand. When I say jump, you need to jump and help her get in the water safely. Don't let her drown but make sure not to lose her. I'll do the same. Are you ready?"_

_She nodded._

"_OK, I love you Jay. Jump on three. One…" There was another loud screeching noise. "Two…" More screams. "Three!" And after that, there was nothing but a blast of wind. I could see the water rushing towards me when all of the sudden my feet connected with the surface. Water filled my every sense and for a second I lost all thoughts. _

_Then I looked over to see the little girl. She had on a bright purple backpack and I knew that as soon as it filled up with water, it would be harder to swim._

_I moved her to be in front of me and took it off. I noticed that it had the name "Annabelle" plastered across the front pocket. _

_Then I noticed that her eyes were closed. _

_I also noticed that her helmet no longer had the purple, glittery horn on it._

_Worst of all, I noticed JJ's absence._

_I did a 360 as best I could while still submerged in water but couldn't see much. I grabbed the girl by her arm and pulled her up towards the top. There was still screaming but the continuous screeching was blocking out most of the cries for help._

_I looked again for JJ but couldn't see her. I knew that Annabelle and I could not last much longer in this water without being crushed by something coming off the bridge, or the bridge itself, but I also knew that I would not have much time until my muscles give out from swimming for both me and this little girl. _

_Annabelle's eyes remained closed and I could not tell if she was breathing or not. I got to the edge of the lake where there was a car that crashed into the water but got stuck in the shallow end. I dragged Annabelle to the top of the car and stood up, still searching for JJ._

"_JJ! Can you hear me?" I knew it was useless because my screams and cries would get lost in the rest of the noise. I searched more but I couldn't see my best friend anywhere. _

"_Ma'am, are you alright? Can you come down please?" _

_I turned to find the owner of the voice and I found a man dressed in an official looking uniform. He was trying to usher me toward the ambulance but instead of coming down myself, I handed him Annabelle. _

"_Her name is Annabelle, I think. Her family… I don't know where they are. I need to find JJ though so can you make sure she's OK?"_

_The man didn't hesitate. He handed the little girl to his comrade while simultaneously climbing up the car to reach me. But before he could, I was in the water walking towards the masses of bodies; some kicking and screaming while others… weren't. _

_I tried calling her name a few more times before I gave up screaming and focused on breathing. _

"MAX!" The combination of someone screaming my name and pulling out my headphones woke me up. "Sorry Kiddo, I was worried. You're all sweaty and shaking… Was it the nightmare again?"

I nodded while I tried to dry myself off and cool myself down. I was still shaking some. "Yeah, thanks."

"Well, Max, welcome to your new home," Jeb said as he pulled into a long driveway.

_Here, _I thought to myself, _I don't have to be Maximum Ride, the girl who lived through the bridge collapsing. I don't have to be the girl who lost her friend. Here, I am going to be Max. I am going to be the new girl who no one knows her past. That is exactly how I want it._

**A/N: I know you didn't get to see much of anyone but I hope you guys like this! Tell me what you think! Feel free to give suggestions and I apologize for the spotty tenses. I couldn't decide which tense I wanted to write in and I tried to fix it but… Yeah. Next chapter will be better!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and stuff! I wasn't really quite sure what to expect and I'm still not… So I guess getting through this story a bit more will help me figure it out! Thanks again!**

_Dear Journal,_

_Our new house is pretty impressive for being located on a mountain pass. Mom thought it would be a good idea to move us to a place that didn't have a lot of people and CatKin County was her ideal. CatKin County runs throughout the mountain pass and holds a total of 578 households. To me, that still sounds like too many but you can't very well find a smaller town. Plus who would want to live on a mountain anyway? _

_Because of its size, CatKin County has only two schools; Wolfview Elementary (which also had preschool) and North Wolfe Jr. High/High school. Obviously, I am going to be attending North Wolfe High. Our mascot is, wait for it, a wolf decked out in some lame blue and green jersey._

_I honestly have no clue what the obsession over wolves is around here. Since arriving a little less than 24 hours ago, I have noticed at least three streets around my new house with wolf in it; Wolf Road (which is the street I live on), Wolf Wood Drive, and Long Wolf Street. Considering this, I find it quite ironic the county is named CATkin…_

_Mom keeps saying the typical mom thing of "Oh, this is going to be so great! You'll make tons of friends!" I think she is going to be really happy here. I can only hope the same for Iggy, Ella, and I. I feel bad for making Iggy move and no matter how many times he tells me it's OK and that he wants the best for me, I will always feel the slightest bit guilty for making him up and leave all of his friends, his sport teams, and basically his whole life. But I guess at this point there isn't anything I can do. _

_Maybe getting back into school will be a good thing. No one will know me so no one will give me the pity that I absolutely despise. Maybe I'll even make friends eventually. But for now I am good with sticking in my own bubble. _

_Fly on,_

_Max_

I closed my journal just as my mom called up the stairs. "MAX, have you finished unpacking yet?"

I looked around my room and eyed the still taped-up boxes laying haphazardly around the floor. My room was nothing special; just a rectangle with a little bit of an indent where my closet is and a window on the far wall from the door. It wasn't much but it was mine.

Jeb and I had put my bed in the corner and against the window because he knew I loved looking outside when I couldn't sleep. But other than my bed, the unopened boxes, and a dresser that was lingering in the middle of the room, my room was empty.

Receiving no response, my mom decided to come up and check on me. There was a slow and gentle knock on my door and her head peeked around the corner.

"Hey dear, I just wanted to come check up on you. Are you doing OK? DO you need help unpacking?" Although she asked a lot of questions, she spaced them out moderately and each time I either shrugged or shook my head no.

She didn't push me.

"I'm making cookies if you want to come down…" She trailed off as she stealthily exited the room. She knew that was the only thing that could get me out of my room.

The thing about my mom is that she is a very smart lady. She knows that the moment she mentions her cookies to anyone who has tried them,she should get out of their way immediately unless she wants to get trampled. I am slightly regretful to report that Iggy and I were the ones to teach her such a painful lesson.

By this time, however, she knew the drill; get some distance, find a good place to duck, THEN bring up the cookies.

As soon as she said the first syllable, I was out of my room and half way down the stairs. A few seconds later I heard Iggy's pounding steps behind me. I picked up speed and dashed into the kitchen, jumping over boxes and dodging the couch that my dad and a mover was carrying in.

"BEAT YOU!" Screamed Iggy as he sidestepped me and grabbed the plate.

I pouted. I mean, come on Iggy, those are MY cookies. He took a handful and started walking back upstairs. He left me with less than half. HALF!

My mom then sauntered into the kitchen holding a cookie that she probably stole from Iggy's pile.

"Sorry deary, I tried giving you a head start." She smiled with crumbs falling off of her shirt.

"Thanks mom," and I gave her a small, cookie-filled smile and a side hug.

At that moment, Jeb entered the kitchen with the mover. The mover had on a dark blue shirt and old jeans that had rips in them NOT from the manufacturer but probably from work. He wore black tennis shoes and a chrome watch on his left arm. From there, all I saw was his dark eyes, tanned skin, and black hair. He kept his face impassive through all of Iggy and my antics. Granted, I pretty much did the same.

"Max, Val, this is one of our neighbors. He offered to come help us move some of our stuff."

My mom immediately piped up. "Oh, it is so exciting to meet one of our neighbors! I'm Valencia Martinez. This is my daughter Maximum." She stuck out her hand and nudged me to do the same.

"Max," I muttered.

"Nick," was all he said as he shook both of our hands. His facial expression never changed.

My mom continued on. "I am going to run up and grab Iggy and Ella. I'm sure they would love to meet you!"

Nick nodded in place of a response and mom rushed up calling for my brother and cousin. Jeb walked over to me and grabbed the plate of MY cookies. He offered them to Nick while I glared at Jeb the Traitor. With a single glance from me, Nick waved his hand in front of the cookies in a refusing way. Jeb saw my glare, grabbed two cookies and handed the rest back to me.

"Please, ignore her. She is just very protective of her cookies. She doesn't bite…" Jeb looked pensively for a second, then added "hard."

It was Nick who rolled his eyes this time but he had a smirk on his face.

My mom came back down stairs with Iggy and Ella in tow. Ella had her nose stuck in a book and Iggy was finishing up a text.

"Nick, this is my son Iggy, and my Niece Ella. Iggy is attending the high school as a Senior. Ella is going in as a sophomore. Do you like the school? Should they know anything going into it as new students? What about you? What grade are you going into?"

"Senior."

That's all he said.

My mom paid no mind to his lack of response to the bajillion questions she was asking him. Instead, she turned to Iggy and I who had gravitated towards one another. "Max, Iggy! you have a friend in your grade!"

I don't know why my mom said that so happily. I hadn't even said two words to him yet nor he to me. So why did my mom associate him as a friend to either of us? Fang was the next one to speak up. His first words to me.

"You're a senior too?"

I nodded and began heading back up to my room before my mom could stop me. It wasn't that i didn't like Nick or anything, I just saw no point in sticking around to get to know an emotionless wall. Considering I have been one for the past month, I know that there was nothing that either of us could say to strike up an actual conversation. Besides, how much fun could a conversation between two walls be? Not very.

I walked straight into my room and by the time I closed my door, I only had three cookies left. I stood right behind my closed door for a few minutes, just staring at the cookies my mom had made me.

I know she's been doing everything she can for me lately. I mean, she's made more cookies in the past month than she probably has in my whole life. She MOVED TWO STATES OVER just to get me away; that isn't something to go unnoted. She has changed her whole life around just for me and now, when all she wants is for me to have a friend, I walk away.

I felt kind of bad but there was no way I would be going back down to that tall, dark, and emotionless rock in my living room. Instead, I figured I should unpack my room like my mom asked me to do a few hours ago. I guess I shouldn't disappoint her any more in one day than I already have.

The first thing I did was push my dresser back against a wall and close enough to my bed so I could reach it when laying down. I dug through a few boxes to find my IHome, plugged my IPod in, then began working.

The song Where We Came From started playing as I reached for a box that I opened when trying to find my IHome and began unpacking things that I used to have on my dresser. Things like an old jewelry box my grandmother gave to me, a CD rack, and a piggy bank I had gotten from our trip to the Bahamas. I loved it because it was made from a coconut and had weird looking eyes.

I finished off that box and grabbed for another one. This one held my boxing gloves, some ACE wraps (I'm VERY accident prone), and an object wrapped in packing paper.

I unrolled the packing paper and let the object fall onto my mattress. I stood for a bit just staring at it. I picked it up and sat down, just thinking back. I remember the little girl Annabelle so well. I remember her face as her family pushed her towards me. I remember her helmet that JJ and I were smiling at. And now I had a part of it. On my bed was a purple unicorn horn. The same one the little girl had on her helmet when riding her bike with her family.

After searching for what seemed like forever for JJ, I was being pulled away from the chaos by a police officer while still going through hysterics. I remember falling to my knees in the shallow end of the water and one of my legs landed on top of the horn. There was still an indent in the horn from where that happened.

Most of the sparkles had come off in the water but somehow it still left some behind everywhere I put it. Currently, my undressed bed had a purple splatter of sparkles but it didn't bother me any; it would be hidden as soon as I put on my sheets.

My door creaked open and Iggy walked in. He was about to speak but instead just took a moment to process what I was doing. He ended up not say anything, just walked over and sat on my bed next to me. He put a hand on my back and wiped away a tear that had escaped my notice.

After five minutes of just sitting there and looking down, he finally decided it was time to explain why he was here.

"I just wanted to tell you that Nick left. And mom and Jeb went to go find the nearest store. I don't know where Ella is but she walked out the back door to explore or something."

With that, he got up and left. He knew better than to say anything else.

After another moment of sitting there in solitude, I decided it was high time I pull myself together. I dropped the horn, got off the bed, and unpacked a few more boxes.

By the time I was done unpacking, the clock on my dresser blinked 9:47 in big blue letters. I looked out my window and saw that our driveway was clear; Mom and Jeb are probably still out.

I did a quick glance around my room just to make sure everything was in its place. I had my dresser and bed pushed together, my IHome still playing music, my clothes are all either hung in the closet or folded in the dresser, my book case was filled to the brim with all of my favorites, and my bed was made. Annabelle's horn got pushed around while I was making my bed and was now laying amongst my journal, piggybank, and clock on my dresser.

I walked over to where it lay and picked it up. I didn't really want anyone seeing it nor did I want anyone to ask me about it, so I placed it in my rarely-used jewelry box. I had to place it in at an angle to fit, but it fit perfectly. I shut the box and fell back onto my bed.

_Out of sight, out of mind._

**So… What do you think? I love hearing what you guys have to say so please leave a review! Whether its good or bad, it is good to hear!**

**Thanks!**

**.::. InfamousBookWorm**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I woke up feeling refreshed. I didn't have nightmares for the first time in what felt like forever. I felt as if everything that has happened was just one big nightmare, but when I looked around and saw that I was in a room different from my Seattle room, I realized that things did happen. But those are in the past and I am here for a new start.

My clock was bleeping telling me that it was time to get up and get ready for school.

School. Something I have always dreaded. Even before the accident I would use every excuse I could to get out of school but mom always saw through my excuses. The accident happened in August so school wasn't in session. But when it did start up, I was still going through things but the therapist my mom tried forcing on me convinced her that getting back into my normal routine of school would be good for me. So she made me go the first day.

JJ and I had made sure that we would have classes together for senior year… But that obviously couldn't happen now. I walked through my first few classes alone and not talking to anyone. Even when my boyfriend, Dylan, found me in his first three periods I stayed silent. He had been texting and calling and trying to visit ever since things began to settle down but I never replied or I would hide in my room if he tried coming over. He still didn't get the hint that I wasn't going to talk to him or anyone.

He walked me to fourth period, which he also had with me, and sat down a few seats away, finally getting it that I wasn't ready. The woman at the front of the room was an elderly woman who looked like she had too much of an infatuation with cats. Her baggy corduroy pants were covered with white hair that was from the probable twenty cats she harbored and her sweater proclaimed "I love my Tabby" and had a picture of a kitten in a basket surrounded by rolls of yarn. She didn't look like any teacher I had seen at school and I was pretty sure this class was supposed to be taught by Mr. Prenton. She did not look like Mr. Prenton…

"Hi class, your teacher has been momentarily preoccupied and should be back tomorrow," the elderly lady began in her scratchy voice. "I am your sub for this period. You can call me Ms. Waise. Now raise your hand as your name is called."

She began listing off the names and, one by one, people would raise their hand with the occasional student being woken from their nap to reply.

"Kara Michaelson… Philip Monroe… Jennifer-Joy Myran… Jennifer? Please raise your hand… Ok Absent, moving along.."

As soon as her name was mentioned I was out of my seat and running out the door. The bespeckled lady gave no notice of my absence and she didn't notice Dylan running out the door after me either.

Looking back, I realize that she probably didn't know but that doesn't make it sting any less. After that class, Jeb came to pick me up and we went home. Mom never made me go back. That was the last straw for her and she decided we would move. And now, here I am going to my first day of school, all over again.

But this time, no one will call out JJ's name during roll call because no one even knows who she is.

I kept reassuring myself of that fact as I dragged myself downstairs. I found mom in the kitchen preparing breakfast, Ella at the table while looking in a handheld mirror fixing some unnoticeable flaw in her makeup, Iggy stealing pieces of bacon every time mom looked away, and Jeb on the couch with his feet on the coffee table and his nose buried in the news paper.

"Good morning," I said towards Jeb with as much cheerfulness as I could muster… It wasn't very convincing.

As soon as he realized I was there he brought the paper down on the couch next to him as if he had just been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. And THAT was a serious offense in our household.

"Max, kiddo, morning. How'd you sleep?"

I probably wouldn't have noticed anything if he hadn't reacted the way he did. But because of his attempted diversion, my curiosity spiked and I immediately looked down at the newspaper that was now halfway covered by a throw pillow. But I could still see that he was reading about the collapsing bridge.

"I can't blame you for being curious," was all I said before walking to the kitchen table to wait for breakfast.

Breakfast was rushed and, before I knew it, we were pulling into the parking lot of our new school. The building looked newly remodeled and was painted with colors too bright for any school. There was a main building and two sub buildings labeled "Gymnasium" and "Auditorium." The main building was surrounded by swarming students and it freaked me out that I didn't recognize any of them.

Iggy, who was driving us, pulled into the first spot he could find which was in the way back of the lot, furthest away from the massive building.

"Did you _have_ to park in the back?" Ella mumbled as she stepped out of the car.

"Yes. Yes, I did," he replied. He rolled his eyes, smirked, and sped up.

I think that, deep down, Iggy was excited for the new school. He would miss his friends and all but I knew he would make more here. He would also miss his basketball team. But he could always try out for the team here… right? Ok, so I felt guilty for making him move and I really wanted him to be happy here. But I can't make him enjoy himself. I guess I will just have to see how he adjusts….

Ella, on the other hand, was nothing but ecstatic for the day. She had gotten up extra early to shower, put on make-up, pick out her outfit, curl her hair, eat breakfast, then she _reapplied_ make-up even though there was absolutely nothing different than when she first put it on. I have no idea how that girl can care so much about her looks. She was all dressed up in a skirt and flowy shirt while I went with minimal make-up and jeans with a t-shirt.

So far, Ella and I couldn't be anymore different and we hadn't found a single similarity. Then again, I sort of expected that since we hadn't seen eye to eye since about 5th grade when she started getting into _Teen Scene Magazine_ and I started getting into music and skateboarding.

Anyway, back to reality. We came up to the school and I looked around at all the new people. There was a group of people reading off of papers with gigantic hand motions- I guess theater enthusiasts. There was posse of boys all chest bumping and fist pounding- jocks. Then there was a pod made up of eight girls surrounding two boys- attention whores and man sluts (my _favorite_ group). There were a bunch more people, some alone and some sitting in groups, but there was one last group that caught my eye. Though, it was more one person, not really the group.

The boy who was in my house the other day, Nick I think, was standing facing my direction but focusing on the girl standing in front of him. He was dressed in black and grey. He had on black jeans, a grey shirt, and a black jacket. His outfit, overall, really complimented his physique. Although my eye was immediately caught by him, I started to take in the rest of the group around him.

The girl in front of him had dark tanned skin and the natural curly hair of a brazilian person. She was more than a head shorter than Nick, which is why I could see his face. I couldn't see her face but, from the back, she looked more like Ella's type. There was a boy next to her with blonde hair wearing a deep green shirt. I could see the side of his face but I wasn't able to distinguish anything from where I was standing by the office. I could see the legs of another boy but the rest of her body was blocked by passer-by's.

"Max, you ready? The secretary said we can go in and see the principal now."

Iggy's voice snapped me out of my analytical thinking space and back into the moment. I nodded and Iggy, Ella, and I followed the secretary back to the office labeled "Principal."

The whole encounter was dull and boring so I think I'll save you the time and skip to the important stuff. Like my classes and mentor.

Apparently, when you join a school in the middle of no where, the administers find it necessary to assign a student mentor so that you can make friends easier… As if being assigned a friend is any help, at all. In theory, your mentor would have similar classes so that if you needed help catching up, you would have someone to go to for help. My schedule was mostly filled with fun classes, considering I had fulfilled must graduation requirements in my junior year. All I had to take was Montana State History for a semester and a full-year English class. Other than that I had a photography class, PE, American Sign Language, and study hall. My "mentor" was a girl named Monica Christianson.

Iggy had the same classes as me except the times of our English classes and Photography classes were switched. Ella had completely different schedule, being a sophomore and all. But there was only one lunch period so we would all see each other then.

All three of us made our ways out to the waiting area in the office where we would meet our new _best friends_, or student mentors. As we turned the corner, I saw a boy and girl standing while talking to one another and second girl sitting in a chair filing her nails.

The girl filing her nails was dressed in skimpy clothes that didn't compliment her in anyway. I mean, you could see her bra was stuffed and that her face was anything but natural. She was pretty… If you're into fake. She had stopped filing her nails for the moment to text. Her green eyes drooped down to her phone as she laughed obnoxiously over what she read. Her sickly orange face was wrinkled from frown lines, but those were the least of her worries with the low standards I could tell she had.

The pair talking were two of the people I saw from Nick's group earlier. The boy was cute but looked like a freshman. He had blue eyes and chubby cheeks. He was looking at the girl like a love-sick puppy. The girl, that I could now see the face of, was super pretty. She also had green eyes but hers popped out from her tanned skin and her nails had a deep orange painted on them. her outfit looked like something Ella would wear. She was definitely pretty, but in no way someone I could see myself being friends with.

Between the two girls, I couldn't decide which one I would prefer to be "Monica Christianson."

As soon as the three saw us walking toward them, they all made their way over to us. The skimpy girl resorted to hanging behind the other two and looking each of us up and down. The other two smiled and introduced themselves.

"Hi, I'm Jeffrey Molten. You must be Iggy," the boy said as he shook Iggy's hand.

It was a short and sweet introduction from him. However, once the girl next to him started, there was no stopping her.

"Hi, you must be Maximum. Or maybe you are. Which one are you? i'm sorry, I don't know who's who here and Lissa over there wouldn't tell us the other girl's name but that's ok because I get to meet you both now. I'm Monica! I like shopping and make-up and clothes and wow! You have a really cute outfit on! Where did you get it Maximum? Wait. I don't know if you're Maximum. I'm sorry, who-"

"Monica!" the skimp shrieked. "Stop talking. you're getting on everyone's nerves!"

Monica's eyes widened and I suddenly became ok with having Monica over the other girl as my mentor.

Monica opened her mouth to speak again but the other girl stopped her. "I'm Lissa," she sneered in a nasally voice. "I'm going to guess you're Ella?" She ended in a question as she pointed at Ella.

Monica finally found a way to rejoin the conversation. "Ella? That is such a pretty name! That must make you Maximum! Maximum is such a cool name! Do you go by Maximum or something shorter like Maxie?"

Iggy nudged her. "You might not want to call her Maxie; she gets grouchy when people call her that."

I punched Iggy in the arm and told her I go by Max. She nodded excitedly and dragged me out the office by the arm. She was jabbering on about boys and classes and a few more things I wasn't paying attention to. She had grabbed me so fast that I didn't see where Ella and Lissa went but Iggy and Jeffrey were just now exiting the office while talking quietly.

By the time we got to our classroom, the boys had caught up to us and we all entered together. Everyone was talking loudly so we snuck in unnoticed. Monica and I took seats in the middle of everyone and I was immediately jittery and sitting on the edge of my seat.

Monica was still talking but all of the sudden, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I jumped but turned and found myself looking into dark eyes.

"Max?"

It was Nick.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Max?" Nick repeated.

"Oh, you're Nick, right?" I don't know why I hesitated because I knew who he was. I guess I was just didn't know what to say; although I find myself in awkward situations often, I'm not very good dealing with them. And, Lord knows, I am not as… Loquacious as my "Student Mentor," Monica.

"Yeah," was all he said. That's it.

Even though he was the one who started our 'conversation,' I didn't push it. I wasn't really in the talking mood and I've listened to enough jabbering for the day just by walking from the office to first period. So, going against what most people would do, I turned to the front of the class while Monica continued to talked in my ear, as if I was listening to her.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. A blur that I was not looking forward to repeating the next day. Iggy drove Ella and I home before heading out for a job search. Ella was talking most of the ride home, only breaking her speech to reply to a text.

"-and after Math, I got to see you guys for lunch, which you know all about, but I must say, I think we should sit with Lissa and her friends because she seems so nice! She's a Junior so she isn't in either of our grades but she complimented my outfit and said I have great skin! I think we could be really good friends and I'm sure she would like you too Max! Oh, and Iggy, she thinks you're- wait! I got a text." A moment later she was cackling with laughter and speedily replying.

"Ella, you cannot just leave it at that! What did she say about me!?" Iggy knew better than to let his eyes leave the road but, in that moment, news about Lissa seemed more important than safety, and he turned to look at Ella in the passenger seat. The car, in that moment, made a drastic turn towards the railing on the side of the road. A few honks from behind us and-

"IGGY!" I screamed as I covered my head and shrunk into a ball.

The car made an immediate adjustment and we were back in the middle of our lane. I peeked my eyes out from behind my arms and saw Iggy's blue eyes in the rear-view mirror, widening in shock and horror. He had a pleading, apologetic look to them as well but I didn't pick that up right away through my teary eyes.

The rest of the ride home was encompassed in complete and utter silence.

"How was your day at school?" Jeb asked as Ella and I walked in the door. His voice faltered as he noticed me thumping up to my room without intentions of answering him. Iggy had stayed in the car because he had to leave soon anyway so Ella was left with the job of explaining what happened.

I heard whispers but couldn't make out particular words as I made my way up the stairs and into my new room.

With the door shut, I laid back on my bed and closed my eyes. Unknowingly, I fell asleep. When I woke up it was getting dark out and I had a gruesome headache. I walked out to find mom and ask where the Aspirin was but stopped in my tracks when I heard voices in the living room that did not belong to anyone in my family. There was the familiar shrill of a redhead I was not too fond of and the deep chuckle of someone I did not know. I decided it was best to just stay upstairs and search for any sort of medication myself. Besides, anymore exposure to _that_ shrill voice could be dire in my state.

I opened the door to the bathroom across the hall from my room and, to my surprise, came face to chest with a man dressed in black. The awkward thing, apart from walking in on someone in the bathroom, would be that I swung the door into them and it spliced open their forehead.

"I am so sorry Nick!" I said as I flittered around, not sure whether I should be helping him or giving him some space.

"Well shit, Max!" he exclaimed while holding his head. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not; his voice didn't waver in any sense. If it were me, I would be furious if someone hit me with a door. "I come over to help your mom move furniture and you repay me by hitting me with a door? Nice. Remind me never to help you with anything." Definitely not angry; he chuckled after he finished the bit about the door, then gave me a humored smirk.

"Well I didn't think I'd bump into a stranger in my bathroom…" I trailed off as I skittered into the bathroom in search of gauze, disinfectant, and aspirin for both Nick and me.

"That's what I am to you? A stranger?" He looked up at me but held no expression in his features. Well, two can play at that game.

I mimicked his expression as I continued the conversation. "Kinda; we've said a total of five sentences to one another since we met. I don't even know your last name so yes, you're practically a stranger." That was the most I had said to anyone, other than mom or Jeb, and that surprised me. But I didn't dwell on it too much. "Sit down," I told him and he did so.

I leaned over grabbing a wad of toilet paper to wipe away the dribbles of blood that were running down the side of his face as well as into his eyebrow. After that was mostly cleaned up, I took a tissue from the counter and smeared disinfectant over the minor cut. He winced but his form of wincing was merely a prolonged blink. I covered it with gauze and cleaned up the counter.

I handed him an aspirin and took one myself. I, having been used to taking (prescribed) pills, had no issue swallowing it without water to wash it down. Nick, on the other hand, just looked at me expectantly.

"Right, I'll be right back," I said as I headed downstairs to grab him a cup of water. Now, normally, I would just leave him to get his own water. Actually, I probably wouldn't have helped him at all if it hadn't been my fault he had gotten hurt.

I began down the stairs but turned the corner quickly in order to escape notice from those sitting in the living room. It worked in the way that no one saw me. But someone heard my steps and assumed I was Nick.

"Hey Nicky," _Nicky? _"Can you bring me in some water? I'm _really _thirsty." Lissa sounded whiny and pathetic. There was no way I was going to subject myself to being her slave. I just stayed silent and got a glass of water for Nick.

I quickly snuck back upstairs, this time without making a sound or being seen. I took a sip of the water before entering the bathroom, it's not like he would ever know. I handed it to him and began to leave but he stopped me with his words.

"You drank out of this, didn't you?"

I answered him with a questioning look. He knew that the look was asking _How'd you know?_ rather than _What did you say? _or _Why would I do that?_

He just gave the same throaty chuckle he offered me earlier and took a swig of the water. I don't know why, but the fact he could read me like that freaked me out a little. But I shook it off and went back to my room to sleep away my headache.

It's been a month since I've arrived here and I'm still being referred to as "_The New Kid." _Iggy and Ella had no issues creating a name for themselves but I, apparently, mean nothing to the people in this school. The only ones I associate with are Ella, Igs, Monica, and Nick when we sit next to each other in first period and at lunch. Nick has a few other classes with me but those classes don't have assigned seats so I can sit in the back corner, away from everyone. And Nick doesn't feel the need to sit by me in those classes. Of course, Monica does.

From this past month, the only things I have learned revolve around Monica and her world. I learned that she wears colored contacts (her eyes are actually a deep brown), I learned that she has a huge crush on this guy named Drew, and I learned that she only likes her lattes with an inch of milk and two sugars. Basically, not much had happened in the four-ish weeks since we've arrived. That is, until one day after school when Ella thought it was appropriate to allow herself and Lissa into my room without my permission. They raided my closet and began throwing things out that were not approved by them.

I walked in and found them commenting on how "out of style" my sweater was and how ugly my jeans were.

"Ella, can you explain why you're in my room?" I was angered but didn't let it show.

"Yes, I have an excellent reason as to why Liss and I are here! We are here to help you!" She happily exclaimed.

"Help me?" I questioned.

"Yes. It was Liss' idea but I thought it was brilliant! She thought it would be nice if we helped you redo your closet! I mean, it has been a month and no one even knows who you are. So we thought that if we gave you some better… Uhh… clothing options then you would be more noticeable!" Lissa and Ella smiled at one another and clapped like that London chick from some Disney TV show.

"Did you ever come to think I liked my clothes?"

"No one would like wearing these ratty old things!" Lissa piped in with disgust. She held up an old pair of jeans and the tattered sweatshirt I was wearing the last time I saw JJ.

My jaw tightened and I swiped my clothes from the shrew's hands. "Can you guys just get out? This is _my_ room and I don't need fashion advice from either of you. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like some privacy." I began pushing them out the door and, despite their protests, was soon locked in my room. Alone.

Despite my best efforts it was nearly impossible to put together a full outfit of my own with the clothes that still remained in my room. Because of this, I was stuck with choosing something that was less Max-like and more Ella-esque. I decided on skinny jeans and a tank top with a cardigan. It wasn't a _terrible_ outfit but I still preferred my own jeans and sweatshirt.

On the way to school, Ella was plugged into her IPod, effectively blocking out Iggy and I. Ella had not talked to Iggy or I since she started hanging out with Lissa; she was always too busy shopping or flirting with boys. Lissa set her up with a boy named Sam and since then, she's made her scarce around the house. Yet, somehow, she finds time to bug me whenever she gets the chance. Honestly, she's turned into a brat.

Iggy and I stick together mostly. He's good friends with Jeffrey, whom I found out was actually a senior, despite how young he looks. He's also good friends with Nick. If you add in Monica, a boy named Dylan, and I, you get our whole lunch group.

We finally got to school and Ella bursted through the door. Immediately her boyfriend, Sam, came up and pecked her on the cheek. Iggy and I took our time getting out. But, When I did, Sam's eyes began roaming my body. The gawking made me uncomfortable and I slunk away from his gaze, coming up beside Iggy as we strode into the building.

Nick, Monica, Jeffrey and Dylan were in a huddle by the main entrance as they had been every morning since we moved here. Monica was waving us over when she stopped suddenly, eyeing me in a less vulgar way than Sam had.

"Max… you look… HOT! What's with the change? I thought you were obsessed with your old look! I _never_ thought I would live to see the day you'd change your look!"

I sighed and began explaining Ella and Lissa disgracing my clothes.

"Well, I don't care how it happened! You look _great!_" Monica finished.

She then began ranting on some fashion topic. The only one listening was Iggy, who I thought had a major crush on her, but Nick and Dylan kept looking at me. They might have thought they were going unnoticed but it was weirding me out. To escape the situation, I nudged Monica, which is something I found myself to be doing a lot of lately, and changed the topic.

"You know Monica, maybe we should call you Nudge," I began. "There always seems to be someone who is nudging you to make you stop talking."

"ZOMG I love it! I am so going by that from now on! Got that, boys? You must call me Nudge! It's cute and short and _way _better than Monica! I mean, what kind of name is that anyway-"

She was cut off by Iggy nudging her on the side. "Yupp, the nickname is definitely fitting!" Iggy exclaimed.

"But now we have to come up with nicknames for the rest of you. I mean, Max, you're fine because your name is actually Maximum so Max is sort of a nickname for you already but the rest of you-"

"Actually," I said, cutting her off. "Iggy isn't _his_ real name." I finished by jabbing Iggy in the stomach. Everyone else just looked at me in confusion. Iggy was shooting me daggers since he hates his real name. I continued anyway. "His real name is Igor. But as a kid, he was too sweet and innocent, or so I am told, to be called such a buff name so our mom decided calling him Iggy was more fitting. He's been called Iggy since."

Everyone was on the verge of laughing, except for Iggy and Nick. I hadn't seen Nick laugh in public; only when we were alone.

By the time the bell was ringing, we had all decided that I would find nicknames for Jeffrey, Nick, and Dylan too. We also decided that we would have a full group sleepover party at Nick's house in two days. We were all laughing and having a great morning. This school was definitely different and I felt that it was a good change from Seattle.

I felt I was finally opening up a little, tiny bit. Or, I was at least talking more around my new group. This school year was going to be great. Then again, we were just walking into first period…. Lots of things can happen in one day of school. Which is what I soon found out.

**Sorry for the late update last chapter. And sorry for the random ramblings in this one but things will start moving along in the next one. i'm planning on it being a longer chapter so I hope you guys still like the story! Review and let me know!**

**.::. InfamousBookWorm**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The day began like any other minus the fact I was dressed in Ella's 'approved' clothing choice. The whole lot of us were laughing until Monica would start talking. But then one of us would nudge her to get her to stop. Then we would collaboratively yell out "NUDGE!" and begin laughing all over again. We did that until we had to split off into our respective classes.

First period went by in a breeze with no distractions or embarrassing moments. Though I did have this strange feeling I was being watched. Yet, every time I turned around, everyone's heads would be looking across the room at something else. But at least the class escaped unscathed by disastrous loads homework. The day was definitely looking up.

But then second period happened.

I was walking with Monica (I guess she wants to be called Nudge from now on) towards Mr. Barnes' room when someone on the Spirit Committee blocked our way, attempting to fix a torn dance poster. I guess I just never noticed them but they've been hung around the school for a week now. It was supposed to be their Halloween party/Homecoming dance. Now, me being me, I didn't notice the girl who stopped to fix the poster so I gracefully tripped over the back of her foot, causing both of us to fall face first. She, luckily didn't land on anything. However, I managed to squish a little passer-by freshman during my fall.

Oh, don't worry! The freshman was fine. I was a little annoyed though. Along with having my ankle tweaked a bit. I didn't say anything to the freshman as he gave me a dirty look and scurried away. The Spirit Committee girl quickly apologized and went on her way. Nudge was gushing out apologies for not warning me about the girl just as Dylan ran up.

"Max! Are you ok? That was a pretty big fall you took there!" He dusted some invisible dirt off my shoulder.

I tried laughing it off but my voice was obviously forced so I backed it up by saying "Yeah, I'm fine. I seem to fall a lot."

He nodded then took a dramatic sigh as he turned towards the poster. "Wow," he began. "I heard the dance is going to be pretty awesome this year."

"Yeah…" I trailed off, looking behind me for Nudge. She had mysteriously disappeared though, and I found myself alone in the hall with Dylan. This was _not _good; I could tell by the way he got all nervous that he was going to either A) ask me to the dance or B) Ask me to the dance.

Imagining the possibility of an option C, I tried to get out of the whole situation. "I think we are going to be late for class. I know I can't be late anymore so-"

"Do you want to go to the dance with me Max?" Dylan blurted, effectively cutting me off and leaving me without words.

So many thoughts were going through my head at that moment. First and foremost was: Do I even want to go to the dance? A month ago, I had subjected myself to not wanting friends here, as if by not making friends, I could get my old life back. But then I met some amazing people and couldn't help myself indulging in having some as good friends. Sure, Dylan was a perfectly nice boy but was he really worth the dance? Did he think of me as- "Sure," I said to interrupt my own thoughts off. His smile grew and grew until I didn't think his face could handle it anymore. He came up for a hug and I froze for less than a second. I wasn't prepared for it so I hugged back out of habit.

Nudge then came out of hiding. She was holding a rose which she promptly handed to Dylan. Dylan then gave it to me and, before I knew what was happening, kissed me on the cheek. There was a flash of a camera and I already knew what was going to show up in the picture: a cute dark haired boy gleefully kissing the cheek of a wide-eyed, horrified girl holding a flower that she doesn't even like.

Just as quickly the day had looked up, the day began nose-diving.

Dylan had to quickly get to second period so I was left with Nudge. We walked into our second period classroom and made our way to our desks. Iggy sat beside me and began asking questions as to why I looked, and I quote, "horribly dumbstruck. Or maybe you're just dumb." Yeah, he's a very caring brother.

Anyway, I told him about Dylan and the dance. I had just gotten to the kiss part when Nick walked in.

"-then before I knew what was happening, he leaned over and kissed me!" I yell-whispered the last part but I think Nick still heard me. I was about to reinforce that statement and explain it was on the cheek but the teacher strode in and slammed the door shut, signalling that if anyone talked, they would probably end up beheaded.

I was looking at the ground near the end of our desk's isle (anything to avoid eye contact with Iggy) and caught sight of Nick's usual beat up black tennis shoes. He was moving at a steady beat until I looked up and met his eyes at which point his walk toward us stuttered. I'm pretty sure I was the only one who noticed.

He sat down but instead of taking up his usual seat next to me, he sat two chairs away. I looked at him in confusion but he wasn't looking back. Throughout the whole class I ignored what the teacher was attempting to teach and ignoring Iggy's consistent questioning. Instead, I spent my time glancing at Nick to see if he was intentionally avoiding me.

Based on his lack of response by the tenth glance in twelve minutes, he was.

"Nick!" I called to him after class got out. He didn't answer. "Nick! I'm talking to you!"

He finally stopped in his tracks to face me as I jogged to catch up to him. "And?"

"Nick, what's wrong?"

He shrugged and walked away, leaving me… Hurt? Is that what I was feeling? I mean, what did I do to receive the silence treatment? This morning he was acting normal- as in normal for Nick. He was silent but that's normal for him. So, hurt. That's what I was feeling. I just stood there looking at him walk away.

When you think about it, it was sort of movie like; the movie hot-shot man candy dramatically walking away from the girl whose heart was just broken. Cheesy dramatic music playing ominously in the background… Ok, so it wasn't really _that_ theatrical. And my heart was far from broken. But still.

Nudge caught up to me, totally oblivious to the romantic heartbreak music playing in my head, talking nonstop about our teacher's horrid outfit.

She dragged me into my next class.

Thankfully, I had third period to chill out. I was still carrying the rose that Dylan gave me but half of the petals were gone from my compulsive picking at it. Half way through the class, the teacher walked by my desk and, without stopping her lecture, swiped her hand across my desk, effectively knocking torn up petal pieces to the floor. Just as she asked students began working on the assignment, she bent towards me and said "I expect you to pick all of those up before the end of class." She _totally _had it out for me

I heaved an annoyed sigh, knowing I couldn't talk back to her without getting a month's worth of detention. But I did not refrain from making faces and flipping her off the moment she turned her back to me. None the less, I cleaned up as much as I could before the bell let out for passing period.

_One more class until lunch_ was my only thought until I got into my next class. At first I didn't notice but as the teacher took attendance, I couldn't help but notice Nick's absence. Of course, after the awkward encounters in second period and passing period, I didn't expect a warm welcome from him but I thought he would at least show up so I could try talking him into telling me what's wrong. But maybe it was best that he didn't show up at all. I can't think of a reason why at the moment… Give me a second… Nope, nothing. Just go with it.

Alas, half way through my worksheet, the infamous Nick… whatever his last name is, came barreling through the door. Actually, Nick doesn't "barrel" through anything. All I know is that one minute I'm fine with doing my work in silence and the next, there's a screeching chair being drug out painfully slow next to me.

I looked up to see Nick standing there, mouthing sorry to the teacher for the distraction. He sat down next to me and took out his work books. I looked around the room. Whether I was looking to see if anyone was watching or to check for empty desks to move to, I have no clue. But I did notice an empty seat plenty far away from me that he could have taken.

"Uhm, Nick?" I questioned as he began scribbling notes from the board.

"Yeah?" He looked at me indifferently.

"Um…" I trailed, not knowing what to say next. I glanced at the clock and saw there was only three minutes left. "Where were you? Class is almost over."

"Got caught up."

He made no move to give further explanation. He went back to work and once again leaving me speechless. "Is everything ok?" I asked, trying to get out of him the reason for the bipolar attitude.

"Yup," he said, popping the 'p.' The bell rang and he got up, shoving his notebook back into his bag. "Lissa and I are going to the dance together," he said, right before he turned to leave.

My jaw literally dropped. Don't get me wrong, I didn't care that he was going with her, it's just that… actually yes. I did care! Why would anyone go with a red headed creep whose goal in life was to sleep with as many guys as she can find? But I mean, if he's into that, he can go for it.

I grabbed my books off the desk and headed towards the cafeteria with Nudge, trailing behind Nick.

Jeffrey, Nick, Iggy, Nudge, and I sat around our lunch table, all silent except for Nudge. She was explaining how all of her teachers reacted to her new nickname. No one was really paying attention but she didn't know that. Then Dylan came up.

Nudge immediately changed subjects to how cute Dylan and I were and how much she couldn't wait until the dance. Nick sat up straighter and took a sudden interest in his lunch. Iggy kind of looked awkward, moving his hands back and forth from folded on the table to resting in his lap, not sure what to do with them. Jeffrey looked… Well, honestly, he looked slightly constipated and spacey.

I hadn't noticed the tense silence that hung around the table once Nudge stopped talking. That is, I didn't notice it until two seconds before we all heard an ungodly vibration noise. Another second passed and a stench worse than anything you could ever imagine washed over us all. All but Jeffrey was clenching their noses and making a choking noise.

"WHY ARE YOU SO GROSS!" Nudge exclaimed, though it was a bit muffled by her nose being plugged.

"I know your nick name." I began. Everyone looked to me waiting for me to finish. "Gassy. You are gassy." But since I said it with my nose plugged, it sounded more like 'gazzy'.

We all sat around for another moment, gagging and thinking the smell would pass soon. But when it didn't, we all looked at one another with a knowing gaze and got up from the table at the same time, leaving our defenceless food at the table along with the smell maker.

As soon as we reached fresh air, Nudge spoke up. "That was… terrible…" She said between panting breaths of fresh air.

Jeffrey came up to us, asking us why we left. We all glared at him as what he just said proved that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. Iggy was the only one brave enough to approach.

"You are… how did Max put it?" He plugged his nose again "Gazzy?" He purposely said gazzy instead of gassy to make sure I knew he was making fun of me. But truthfully, I think Gazzy is a better name than Gassy. And that is exactly what I told everyone. Everyone except for Dylan, who didn't know about the nicknames, nodded and tested out saying the name themselves.

In a jumble of whispered Gazzy's, Dylan leaned over and whispered in my ear. "What's a Gazzy?"

"Oh! We all agreed to give each other nicknames. Well, I guess they all agreed that I would give them nicknames. Monica is Nudge, if you haven't heard by now, and Jeffrey is now Gazzy."

He nodded but still look confused. "So does that mean I get one too?" He put on a flirty smile.

I didn't know what to say so I looked over to Nudge for help. All she could do was nod in affirmation. "I guess. I mean you are kind of a part of this group now… I guess."

"Of course you're in the group! you and Max are like… A thing now aren't you?!" I glared at her but Dylan nodded, oblivious to my dislike of that idea.

Needless to say, lunch was no better than the beginning of the day was. But by this time, it was time to head to our next class.

After lunch I had weight training which was a class mostly made up of guys. The only girls were Nudge, me, and a few of the sportier girls who tried out for every sports team they could. Usually, in this class, we spend time lifting weights or running on the track (which scares off most girls from taking the class). Nudge was only in the class because she needed the PE credit. But today we had a guest speaker come in and talk about their experience as a self defense instructor so we didn't need to change into our gym clothes. I sincerely wish we could have, though; then I could change out of this stupid outfit.

All class period there were boys looking at me. I didn't understand why until Nudge told me that Connor O'grady was checking me out. He was looking at me like every other guy was; greedily, disgustingly, and with slight confusion.

It wasn't until the speaker stood up to begin his speech that I caught on to what some of the whispers were about. Everyone seemed to be asking who I was. A month and they still didn't know who I was. Then, the speaker directed everyone's attention to me by calling me out.

"You, what's your name?" His voice was raspy but still concise.

"Max," I said simply.

"Max, ok, I want you to come up here. We are going to give a demonstration and I need your assistance."

"Can't you get someone else to help you?" I protested.

"I could, but it seems most of the class is interested in you and not me. So if I get you up here, maybe they will actually pay attention." Most of the boys turned away and looked awkward for being indirectly called out.

The teacher gave me a warning look which got me moving up and towards the front.

He wanted to show the class simple maneuvers in which the first one consisted of an attacker coming from behind. The guest speaker came up from behind me, a lot closer than I would have liked, and I heard a mixture of wolf whistles, whispers, and shushing from the teacher. I glared at the class in general. I didn't even notice that the speaker was talking directly to me.

"Max? I need you to pay close attention to these instructions. If someone comes up from behind you, you-" I cut him off by performing a move on my own.

He was directly behind me, one arm around my neck and another arm at my side. I decided to take my left foot, slip it behind his two feet, grab his arm in one hand and elbow him in the gut with my other arm. Partly in surprise and partly from my force, he fell back with a gasp and a thud.

The whole class looked at me wide eyed and no one moved for a full minute.

"Well, Max, that was good but you shouldn't beat up Mr. Parks…" My teacher trailed off.

"No, no, no. That was fine. but I wasn't really trying to stop you so let's do that again, this time, I'll make it harder on you." He, I guess Mr. Parks, obviously didn't expect me to do that and he didn't want to show the class that a student could take him out so easily.

He set himself up again but I noticed that this time he placed his feet so I couldn't step behind him easily. His arms were in the same position though. So this time, I reached behind me with my right hand and grabbed the side of his face, making sure he couldn't bite me or anything. I pushed on his head in one way as I twisted myself out of his arms. Then I swept my feet under his, making him fall once again.

The class all "Oohed" and "Ahhed" as Mr. parks got back up. He looked mad now but immediately order me to sit back down. I did as he said, smirking the whole time.

A few kids high-fived me and told me "nice job, new girl!" I nodded curtly at them but rolled my eyes as soon as they or I turned around. Well, at least they knew who I was now.

I was feeling tortured by the end of my next class. There were so many people asking me who I was and if I was new. Apparently someone had taken a picture of me in weight training and sent it to everyone. Nudge showed me the text. The caption read "New girl kicks Ass. Who knew?"

A few guys tried hitting on me but Dylan was sitting next to me and made sure everyone else knew I was going with him to the dance. My life sucked.

When the final bell rang, I booked it out of class. School was finally over. Nick hadn't talked to me since before lunch but everyone knew that he was going with Lissa to the dance. This school was crazy with gossip.

Iggy met me by the car, knowing I would want to get out of there as soon as possible. Ella somehow got the cheer coach to make an exception and give her a try out so she was going to get a ride home with Lissa or something.

"Ready sis?" I nodded and shoved all of my stuff in the car the moment he unlocked it. Iggy had put his project in the passenger seat so I couldn't sit there. Instead, I sat behind his seat so I could kick him a few times before we took off. We made our way home going on back roads.

I liked the back roads because the trees were pretty and there weren't many cars backing up the streets. Only five minutes in to our ride, there was a loud roar of an engine coming from behind. I looked to the side of us and saw Sam, Ella's boy toy, stick his head out the right side window. Normally, this would be fine, but whoever was driving had drove them on to the wrong side of the road.

He motioned for me to roll his window down. I did and asked him what he was doing.

"I need to talk to you!" He shouted back. We were both going 40 MPH so the wind carried his voice away from me quickly.

"Ella isn't here! She's at the school!"

"Ella? I said I want to talk to _you_." He pointed at me of emphasis.

I heard a honking noise and we both looked up to see a large truck heading down the road, right for Sam's car!

"SAM! GET ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD!" I yelled at him. Iggy was freaking out, not wanting anyone to crash. "Iggy, just keep driving, stay calm." I advised him. I turned back to Sam. "Sam, why aren't you getting over?"

"I won't until you promise me something." He looked a little nervous but he covered it well with a cocky smirk.

"What? Just get over! The truck is coming right at you!" It honked again.

"Promise me you'll do something for me!"

"What?" I couldn't hesitate any longer, the truck was almost on top of them. "Fine! Anything! Just get over!"

Without another word, Sam's driver sped up and swerved in front of Iggy, causing Iggy to swear and slow down dramatically. The truck passed, flipping us all off, and Sam's car slowed to a stop. Iggy had to stop since he was behind Sam. As soon as I could, I ran out of the car, slamming my door behind me.

"What the heck man?! You could have died!" I yelled at him, poking him in the chest.

"Awh, worried about me already? And we haven't even met."

I looked at him like he was crazy, which he was.

"We have met! You're dating Ella!" My voice was still raised.

"Oh yeah, you're Maxine right? And no, I'm not dating Ella. She was just… a fling, if you must define us. And we are getting off topic. You owe me a favor."

"A favor? A FAVOR? You almost died so you could ask me for a favor?!"

"Could you keep your voice down? We had plenty of time. And yes, a favor. You have to go to the dance with me."

"Uhh… One, You're dating Ella. Two, you don't even know me. And three, I already have a date."

"Hmm, Ok." He said it sarcastically, like it was no big deal. "One, I already told you we are not dating. Two, I want to _get_ to know you, sweety. Three, you mean Dylan? He's thinking of giving you more than just a good time _at _ the dance if you know what I mean. And four, you owe me. Case closed, you're my date."

I just looked at him in a mix of horror and disgust. I had no words to come back with so I just turned on my heel and got back in the car, demanding Iggy get us home.

He did so and sped away, leaving Sam in our dust. Of course, as soon as we drove away, I came back with a come back…

Today was just not a good day.

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait. I have been buried in homework and self projects! But I did make this chapter longer for you guys! Hope you like it! Tell me what you think!**

**.::. InfamousBookWorm**


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